Contacting Your Legislators

The best way to contact your legislator is via face-to-face conversation at the capitol.  But, it is also important to communicate your support for Mississippi midwives by a handwritten letter addressed to:
   P. O. Box 1018 
   Jackson, MS 39215 

Lastly is email/facebook message/phone call - Personal and brief emails make a better impact more than mass emails.  Capitol switchboard, just ask for the legislator you are calling for.  They may transfer you or take a message.  (601) 359-3770
Click here to find your personal legislator 

Who to contact and when
Contacting the Representative and Senator that represent you is a good place to start.  However, there are many other legislators that play an important role and need to hear from you.  Click here to see how a bill becomes a law.  Once our bill is introduced in January 2013, it will be assigned to committees.  The Chairmen and members of these committees hold a lot of power.  The Chairman will decide IF the bill will be discussed at all.  If brought up for discussion, the committee will vote on whether or not the bill will be sent to the entire House/Senate for a vote.  Changes can (and most likely will) be made in the committee and again when before the entire house.

What to say
Speak honestly from your heart.  Tell them that you support the "Midwife Standards Act" and why.  They won't really expect you to know the details, but if they ask something you don't know the answer to, don't be afraid to say you don't know.  Your opinion is still very important.  Legislators have our information and know who to get in touch with if they have specific questions.

My First Visit to the Capitol

Let me begin by saying that I missed the politickin' genes of my family. I don't typically get jazzed up about shaking hands and convincing people to stand behind what I'm selling.

Today I made my first visit to the capitol to talk with as many of the Board of Public Health and Human Services members as I could. I took some notes from this visit and I'd like to share them with you. These are specific to our own state capitol building and may not apply anywhere else.

1. Dress appropriately - Southern politicians, their aides and secretaries all dress well. They seem surprised to see women NOT dressed like they're supposed to be there.

2. Be as organized and thorough as possible before you go. - This is likely a no brainer to most, but I thought I had it all together when I left the house.

3. Bring your kiddo if you must, but leave the stroller at home. I thought I was doing myself a favor by having it, but the offices that these folks work in are SO SMALL! and the elevator is too. Even with just my umbrella stroller it was too much. Use a carrier instead.

4. Don't leave your self-confidence at the door. There are security checks, sideways glances, annoyed secretaries, and men in bow-ties! Remember why you are there, and that these people work for you! A little lipstick doesn't hurt either.

5. You don't have to do it alone. Call a friend, a board member, a sister, a husband. Take someone with you to remind yourself that you're not the "only" person who is in favor of this!

6. Cell Phone reception is not good, and they really aren't allowed anyway. I took my smart phone hoping to not fiddle with paper as much, but the signal was so bad that it took WAAAAY longer than looking up the information on a sheet of paper would.

7. Try not to panic when the politicians kiss your kid. It's what they do.  When they do, snap a picture.

Good Luck,
Charis Delatte
MS Friends of Midwives Founding Member

Sample Letters to Legislators

Here are two examples of letters written to legislators in January 2011:

Dear Chairman Mims,

I support the Midwife Safety Act and I think you should as well.  My baby was born safely and peacefully at home under the watchful eyes of a direct-entry midwife.  Midwife attended homebirths are on the rise in Mississippi and your support of this bill will ensure families have access to highly trained and credentialed midwives for their out-of-hospital birth.  

Thank you for your time,
Laura Dearman
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To the honorable members of the Mississippi State House of Representatives Public Health and Human Services Subcommittee #2,

I write to you to urge your support for HB207, which would regulate the practice of Certified Professional Midwives in the state of Mississippi.... I am a Registered Nurse with a particular interest in the area of women's health and midwifery. 

Women will choose to birth at home for a variety of reasons, and they will do so regardless of what statutes are in place. It is our responsibility to ensure that home birth is a safe choice for the sake of the health of these women and the babies they give birth to. Regulating and credentialing Certified Professional Midwives ensures that the women of Mississippi who choose a home birth (as they have a constitutionally supported right to) will have access to a knowledgeable practitioner, and not be taken advantage of by unskilled, untrained fly-by-night practitioners. It will also help ensure continuity of care in the event that a home to   hospital transfer becomes necessary.

Home birth has been shown to be a safe practice in many countries. In recent years, for example, a few Australian teaching hospitals have begun umbrella homebirth programs with Nurse Midwives in attendance, and the outcomes are comparable to hospital based birthing.

Please support the passage of this bill for the health and safety of  all women of childbearing age in Mississippi, and to support and uphold their right of choice.

Yours truly,
Virginia Becker, RN